1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing for controlling the access rights of digital data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an access rights management server which can control access (browse, valid period, copy, print, modification, and the like) to various files is on the market. An author of files can control access rights to a distribution file by each individual user using the access rights management server.
As an example of the access rights management server which has already been released, Adobe® Policy Server is known. The Policy Server can attain the aforementioned access rights control to PDF (Portable Document Format) files. Also, Information Rights Management (IRM) announced by Microsoft® allows the aforementioned access rights control.
However, the access rights control system can set permission/inhibition of print for respective users and files, but it cannot set permission/inhibition of print for respective printer devices. If a wrong printer device is designated, upon printing a file including confidential information, a person who does not have any access rights to that information may see the printouts, and the confidential information may leak.